Ellen, Abby, and Claire are their English names and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who uses them. These friends, and fellow teachers, are my social lifeline at school. They want to improve their English, and having friends to talk in the teacher's room during lunch makes my days as the only non-Korean speaker a little less solitary. We make a great team. They also love taking me out after school. So far we've visited art exhibitions in Samchongdong, enjoyed the traditional side of Korea in Insadong, and done some serious window shopping in Myeongdong. Each time they treat me to dinner which is always followed by coffee and/or tea in quaint cafe's where we talk until it's late. They are always equipped with their English dictionaries but they really do so well without them. I laugh a lot with them. Next week they are taking me to a Korean movie with English subtitles. Just yesterday they whisked me away from my desk during a class break for tea time in the music room. They are wonderful! I am so so grateful for them.
